February 22, 2012UncategorizedComments Off on Social sector recognised at Christchurch awards ceremony

Press Release – Community Response Forums

Forty-one community groups funded by government have been recognised for the way they have worked over the last year supporting families, the community and each other after the Christchurch earthquakes.22 February 2012

Social sector recognised at Christchurch awards ceremony

Forty-one community groups funded by government have been recognised for the way they have worked over the last year supporting families, the community and each other after the Christchurch earthquakes.

The Greater Canterbury Social Sector Awards were given by the Greater Canterbury Community Response Forum, a group of community and government representatives responsible for improving the delivery of social services across Canterbury. They were presented by Amy Adams, Associate Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery and Sue McKenzie, Forum member, at the Christchurch Social Sector Awards ceremony which was held at the Chateau on the Park after the Memorial Service on 22 February 2012.

Terry Donaldson, Forum spokesperson, said the way the community sector responded to events following the earthquakes deserves to be acknowledged.

“The Canterbury community sector has shown extraordinary leadership. Their responsiveness to the needs of families and communities following the earthquakes and the innovative ways they worked together, and with government, meant that the impact on families was lessened,” he said.

“These awards are a way of showing our appreciation and admiration for the work they did.”

The awards are as follows:

Greater Canterbury Social Service Sector Award 2011 for CommunityResponsiveness following the Earthquake

0800 Canterbury Support and Counselling Line – provides the people of Canterbury with immediate access to counselling and other social services as they are needed. The organisations that contributed to the success of the helpline are:

Greater Canterbury Social Service Sector Award 2011 for Leadership Following the Earthquake

Earthquake Support Coordination Service –helped families directly affected by the earthquakes navigate their way through the many issues they had to deal with. The organisations that contributed to the success of this service are: